Trappistes Rochefort 10 | Brasserie de Rochefort

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Reviews by mscudder:

Completing my tour of Rochefort this evening. Behold the heavyweight.... the Rochefort 10. Poured into a snifter after excessive admiration.

A - Black, with a slightly brown hue. Big multi-finger tan head. Retention was nice, yet lacing was not perfect.

S - Lots of fruit here. Complexity making its mark! I detect apples, pears, grape and fig. Good stuff.

T - So very much balanced complexity. Figs, cherry, chocolate, brown sugar, caramel and a bit of dryness to finish.

M - Smooth, full body with nice carbonation that settles with the beer, furthering the exquisite balance that I cannot completely absorb.

O - I have had this beer periodically over the past few years and I can say that it gets better each time. Initially I thought this was just too much for me, furthering I found it excellent and now I find this to be one of the best Quad's available. The ABV presence warms the beer, rather than making it unbearable. Shockingly, this is drinkable. Had I no knowledge of the craft beer trade, I could easily put a few of these down in an evening, granted the next day may not be the best... Short of a Westy 12, this beer is bottled perfection.

More User Reviews:

Undoubtedly one of the best beers ever made. Such complexity, flavor, boldness, and so much togetherness; this beer ranks right there with the Westvleterns and St. Bernardus Abt. 12's of the world.

The murky brown liquid pours into the brandy snifter with a turbulant and froathy pour. An airy, lightly tanned head shows sprinkles of yeast and spices. The beer settles with a half-inch head and laced well as the beer magically disappeared. Despite the rusty and sediment rich pour, the beer has a nice appearance.

Cotton candy sweetness hits the nose with a lot of fruitiness, spiciness, and with a chocolatey, vineous hint that keeps my head spinning. The nose promises complexity immediately.

Malty richness of barley sugars, caramels, and toffee set the tone. Quickly a toasty, chocolatey flavor accompanies the malts and a rich concoction of sweetness begins to emerge. Fruitiness of berries, grapes, dates, figs, plumbs, and apples quickly give a balance and needed variety to the sweet malt taste. A light hint of barrel aged woods make a minor impact later with mild tang and mustiness on the mouth. A confectionate and complex reward to the tongue.

Initial powder-sugar textures develop quickly into a well-malted, well-rounded beverage. Full and suculant textures allow the acidic fruit notes and light hop bitterness to settle the beer and calm the sweetness. Finishes with a dry, well-attenuated, airy finish. For such sweetness, the beer leaves very little residual sweetness on the mouth.

Certainly a desert beer, but not one that relies soley on sweetness. The beer continues to develop with each successive sip and as the beer warms. Remarkably easy to drink seeing how malt dominant the beer shows. A magical beer that defies modern brewing logic.

Appearance  The body is very dark brown, cloudy to the extent that no light in my house can put a dent in the color. I controlled the head at the pour, but it was still big and left a filming layer on top of the ale.

Smell  The sugars jump right out of the glass. The generous cane is the first one I caught. This was followed by crumbly brown and sandpaper raw. The heavenly fruits came next. The apricot led the way followed by overripe pears, Bing cherry juice, an orange wedge or two, a little banana, some figs, a piece of star fruit, and finally a quality red apple.

The alcohol notes and mature malt bring up the rear. This is a very complex bouquet.

Taste  Man, is this good. The sweetness comes out in force at the tongue. It seems like a drop of vanilla has been added to give it even more smoothness. I thought the malt might wimp out at the taste, but it stays its ground (an amazing accomplishment).

Mouthfeel  Very lightly carbonated and smooth, smooth, smooth. The alcohol calls attention to itself at some point, but after the first sip or two you just dont care.

Drinkability  This defines creamy Belgian Ale. Its just beautiful to hold in the mouth and the flavors will keep you busy all night long. What a treat.

Update  I have this occasionally and decided to re-review for 2004. I was able to pick up some tobacco at the nose to go along with all of the wonderful fruits. It seemed a little more boozy though then I remember so I shaved a half point off of the MF.

Presentation: 33cl Euro-style brown bottle. A freshness date of March 23, 2005, but it'll last much longer. Original Beglian label, no Enlgish. Brought over from Belgium. The (10) denotes it's strength, not abv, amongst a series of beers. They also brew a (6) and an (8).

Taste: Upfront is an immediate prickly alcohol that rides upon a layer of tingly carbonation, making it smooth. Alcohol is extremely warming on the palate, throat and face. The malt is big, sweet & fruity, like ripe plum that melds with a spiciness that brings English Christmas Pudding drizzled with rum to mind. Some spicy pepper notes (from the yeast), some sweet sugary peppermint, almost medicinal to a certian point. Did we mention that this beer is alcoholic?

This is one amazing beer. Unbelievably good. All the complex character of the best quads, this is a prize specimen of the Quadruple Ale family. I just can't hold back a perfect score, because this is one of the few whose flaws I just cannot find.

It's got your belgian-quad banana flambé right at the intro, in the nose and on the tongue. And so smooth for this big a beer.

Too easy to drink fast when it's right out of the fridge, this is a beer to savor. Let it warm up so the transcendent experience lingers as long as possible. As with all perfect score beers, this one just gets better as it approaches room temperature.

Shame I've only found it in these little 0.33L bottles. I would hoard magnums of this baby if they sold them. This is Bond Villain quality beer, if you serve this to someone who is a true beer lover, you will gain major beer cred.

This is the Gabourey Sidibe of beers. It is dark, ugly, but it is surprisingly good. :-D

The appearance is interesting. It has a nice head, the color looks nice, but MAN look at all that sediment! I've never seen that much sediment in a beer. It is everywhere. I looked in the bottle and there is a ton that didn't make it into the beer glass. It would have been worse. The look is not appealing at all. I have no problem with sediment but this is on a whole 'nother level!

The taste is wonderful. It is a little boozy but it is 11.3% ABV. The flavor is mysterious. I saw another reviewer give a taste profile of "rum" and I'm totally getting that. There's a rum taste, dark fruit (raisin, cherry, prune), and malt. I love these sort of beers. The totally opposite of hoppy beer (YUCK!). No hop presence, just sweet maltiness. Delicious!

Color: Dark Amber, almost a brown in color. Lots of Carbonation
Taste: Black Cherry, Dark Fruits. The carbonation really opens your palate to these tastes. Very Strong complex flavors with a sweet malt backbone.
Smell: Black Cherry, raisin, a hint of pomegranate
Overall: This is the best quad I've ever had, maybe the best beer I've ever had. Drinking this was almost a sad experience, since I knew I would finish the glass soon enough and not be able to drink more. 5/5

Appearance - This beer pours a beautiful deep brown with 2 fingers of soft white head. The head seems to stick around well.

Aroma - Dark fruits and im talking Prune, Dates, raisins, they are all there giving it a sweet arome up front. Rich toffee follows this giving a nice bittersweet smell , Roasted nutty malts and than belgian yeast giving off that beautiful fresh bread aroma. This is a beautiful smelling beer forsure!

Taste - This is probably the first 5 I have ever given for taste but wow it kicks your palate. All the dark fruits hit your tongue first delivering a sweetness almost unheard of in beer. followed by some roasted almost burnt nuts and toffee to balance that, then you get hit with a boozyness followed by some nice fresh bread to wash it down. This is delicious!

Feel - This is a medium bodied beer with the percentage I almost expected it to be thicker. The carbonation is creamy creating a very smooth drinking experience for 11.3%.

Overall - This beer along with its price point is not a beer to be drank daily. Its going to beat you up a little with flavor and high abv% and after one your probably going to be close to finished for the day. With that said the aroma's and flavor and appearance mesh so well it will be an unforgettable experience. Get your hands on this one!

Pours a murky dark brown with a 2 inch beige head that fades to a film on the top of the beer. No lacing forms on the drink down. Smells of dark fruits, fermented raisins, spices, and yeast. There is a bit of a funky smell coming out of the glass too. Taste is very spicy and surprisingly funky. Lots of fermented dark fruits and super dark brown sugar. However, there is a definitely an off flavor here as I am tasting dirty gym socks. It's to degree where it's not very dominant but it's enough to be noticeable. The beer is pretty flat and combined with the taste it's a chore to even sip on this one. Overall, I need to get another bottle of this to rereview sometime because I think there is something wrong with this one.

Very bold pour, producing a creamy off-tan head that retains well and leaves a little bit of lacing along the tulip glass. The color is a deep, dense, hazy brown color, very dark, almost with a gray-hue as well. The nose is very reminiscent of red wine, full of dark red grapes, figs, sweet brown sugar, burnt caramel, licorice, raisins, plums - so much going on here, it's quite wonderful. The taste is full of the same, with a slight alcohol warmth, grapes, plums, sweet malts and caramel, and just a touch of floral notes in the background. Heavy mouth and extremely creamy with a nice and welcomed carbonation bite.

It's easy to see why this beer is so popular. A great quad with a huge aroma and flavor complexity, nice alcohol warmth but masked well for 11.2%, making it very easy to drink. Truly a great brew here.

Brown bottle with no label or freshness date, only the cap denotes the type of Rochefort it is.

Appearance: Maximum stickage as the head leaves a dreamy looking lace as well as a pancake of head in the middle of the glass. Bold brown hue with bright ruby highlights, warm looking.

Smell: Dark sugars, perhaps a thick dark brown sugar, some herbal phenolics that are soft and hints of liquorice and cocoa in the nose as well.

Taste: Medicinal, peppery and warming. Thick maltiness with hints of light grade molasses and dark bread. Phenolics are soft but are dug in deep into the taste buds. Hops are mild and weathered with a leafy character. Faint detection of caramelized sugar and a ghost like smokiness. Esters are there but very mellow. It takes a while to take notice the strength of the alcohol as it warms the body.

Mouthfeel: Heavenly smooth and oh so creamy, solid medium to full body. Care has been taken to bring forth such a lush mouth feel.

Drinkability & Notes: Definitely a sip and savour brew and better to pair up with some different cheeses. I opted for a meat and cheese plate and it play well with this tall standing brew.

Bottle is best before 23-8-2021 so probably just under a year old. Pours a deep mahogany with an incredible of very stable tan head. The head was surprisingly large for something of such a hefty abv and it stays for ages. Smell is loads of caramel and brown sugar, and lots of dried fruit-like aroma. Sorta like opening a tin of dates or dried figs. Flavor follows suit with boat loads of fruity character. Sorta like tobacco. If you ever rolled your own and opened up a new pouch of the good stuff, it's kinda like that. A light touch of caramel sweetness and then a bit of booze. Feel is full bodied with a touch more alcohol burn than I like, but I suppose some careful aging could have helped there, and it's a bit expected with a double digit abv. Overall, this stuff is phenomenal. Complex and hearty, and definitely the best quad I've ever had.

Best of the trappistes rocheforts. One must try this in their lifetime, even if their last meal. One of the best beers I have ever tasted. The specs: Mahagony cloaked by beautiful cream. Agree this is the ideal match for a steak. More so than wine. Drank it late evening - wonderful idea.It's kalula, pear and apple fruit, citrus, caramel all in a perfect yeasty combination. Alcohol rock. To savour.

Best beer I've had so far. Poured into a Belgian Goblet, about 3in of head from pour, 2in staying after first sip. Smells caramelly sweet, tastes a strong burning alcohol, with a sweetness of dates upfront, and a caramelly finish. Sooo strong and complex yet soooo smooth and tasty. Just absolutely everything you could want.

Feel: Big bodies. Thick and sticky on the palate. Quenching on the body with a bone dry finish. Warm alcohol that is just a bit abrasive. Carbonation is medium and helps the beer move quicker across the palate then the body would suggest.

Overall: A truly world class Belgian Quad. The beer is rich and complex while staying subtle and nuanced. It’s big for sure but the flavors stay smooth and delicate. It is pretty amazing how clean each flavors is. It never even comes close to desert level sweetness or a sugar bomb like some Quads can wind up being. If I were to nitpick the alcohol is just a hair too much but aging might smooth it out a bit. A real treat.

This is my first review so forgive me if my format is not correct just yet.

Served from the bottle into a 16oz libbey style glass.

Poured a somewhat darker brown. Darker than I was expecting. Large beige colored head. If I had one complaint about this beer it would be that it is quite carbonated, at least the few bottles that I had. That's really the only thing keeping it from a perfect 5/5 score.

Appearance: Pours a beautiful dark brown with a light tan head. Gorgeous head that lingers long after pouring, very fine bubbles, wonderful lacing. A very pretty beer.

Aroma: Very complex aroma of dark fruits, with none specifically overwhelming, very balanced scent. More dark fruits, perhaps a bit of cherry, raisins, brown sugar, bread, even a hint of grape. No alcohol on the nose, beautifully balanced creamy scent.

Taste: Raisin, fig, vanilla, wine, beautifully balanced. The alcohol is hidden exceptionally considering its ABV. It has a gorgeous creaminess that is reminiscent of a nitro. The taste has a mellow lingering taste that gives hints of chocolate, cherry, honey, vanilla, and rye. Very mature and exceptionally balanced taste.

Overall: This beer absolutely deserves its rating. It is a gem and potentially one of the best. Its spot on depth and balance turn it into something ephemeral. This was part of a taste test including St Bernardus 12 and La Trappe Quad, and this won. It was more balanced and had a better mouthfeel than St Bernardus 12, and has more depth than La Trappe Quad. So, If you have not tried this beer, do so. If you only try one Quad let this be it.

Many people will tell you that Westvleteren XII and St Bernardus Abt 12 are the best. I beg to differ. I would rate Rochefort 10 higher. The only beer I like as much as this one is Straffe Hendrik Quadrupel.

Pours a medium to dark brown, clear, quarter inch head that dissipates fairly quickly and left almost no lacing. Smells of booze, almost like it was barrel aged, dark fruits, malts and a sweet quality. Tastes incredible with booze at the forefront (whisky or bourbon), malts, raisins, molasses and sweet cherries. Well carbonated, medium bodied, slightly astringent and finishes on the dry side. Absolutely incredible beer.

A - Cloudy brown body, with orange highlights, short tan head fades out quickly, leaving a thin ring at the edge. Visible carbonation keeps the beer moving minutes after the pour. It is a fine looking beer.

S - Booze is out and proud, with hints of tea and toffee, a bit of sugar, and strong dark fruit, prunes and raisins.

T - The open is sweet, with a candy note. Then comes a cherry hit, almonds and candied breads. The middle closes with a move away, toward more straight bread flavors. The close hits with some tea astringency that fades back into a long sweet dark bread note, molasses and brown sugar, that lingers. As it warms, the sugars come forward, and the bread takes on more caramel.

M - Brisk carbonation keeps this from getting syrupy or cloying, but the heft is there, a bit of alcohol warmth, and a slightly drier close that also helps clear the palate. This is one that has so many traps for the brewer, but the result walks that line and is delivers a nice, warm feel.

O - This is a profoundly well crafted brew, with depth in flavor and great feel. At over 11%, it could be a boozy mess, but it is instead a measured, tasty, developed experience. Another Belgian that shows just how good these styles can get.

Rochefort 10 is my favorite beer so far, although there are other highly rated quadruples that I have not tried.
The first time I tried this beer was in Brussels at a random pub, without knowing it's fame and popularity. I'm relatively new in the "beer world" :P But I loved this beer instantly.

Rich flavour with many layers. Quity fruity but still greatly balanced. Despite the high ABV it's still very smooth.